Gubernatorial battlegrounds, 2026

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Last updated on February 12, 2026

Thirty-six states are holding elections for governor in 2026. Of those, Ballotpedia has identified seven as general election battlegrounds:

These battleground races were selected using the following criteria. For more information on our methodology, click here:

the results of the 2024 presidential election in each state,
whether the incumbent was seeking re-election,
whether the governor's office changed partisan control the last time it was up for election, and
how the Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales rated the race.

In addition to the competitiveness data above, races were included if they were particularly compelling or meaningful to the balance of power in governments for other reasons.

In 2024, Ballotpedia identified two gubernatorial battleground races: New Hampshire and North Carolina. No gubernatorial offices changed party hands in 2024.

In 2022, the last time this set of offices was up, Ballotpedia identified 13 gubernatorial battleground races: nine Democratic-held governorships and four Republican-held governorships. Of these, Democrats gained control of the governor's office in Arizona and Republicans gained control of the governor's office in Nevada.

Click on the links below to learn more about battleground races of other types:

Battleground list

The following map displays all states holding gubernatorial elections in 2026 shaded by the incumbent's or most recent incumbent's political affiliation. Battleground races are highlighted in brighter colors. Hover over a state for more information.

Battleground gubernatorial elections, 2026
State	Incumbent	Open seat?	2024 presidential Margin	Margin in previous electionCite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; refs with no name must have content
California	Gavin Newsom	Yes	D+20.2	D+18.4
Iowa	Kim Reynolds	Yes	R+13.2	R+18.5
Kansas	Laura Kelly	Yes	R+16.2	D+2.2
Michigan	Gretchen Whitmer	Yes	R+1.4	D+10.6
Minnesota	Tim Walz	Yes	D+4.2	D+7.7
Nevada	Joe Lombardo	Yes	R+3.1	R+1.5
Wisconsin	Tony Evers	Yes	R+0.9	D+3.3

List of candidates

The table below contains a list of all candidates for governor in 2026. The table is fully searchable by candidate, party and candidacy status. Depending on the size of your screen, you'll either see a menu to the left of the table or an arrow at the top right corner, which you can use to select a state.

Alabama Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Ken McFeeters	Republican	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Will Santivasci	Republican	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Tommy Tuberville	Republican	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Will Boyd	Democratic	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ja'Mel Brown	Democratic	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Yolanda Flowers	Democratic	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Doug Jones	Democratic	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Chad Chig Martin	Democratic	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Nathan Mathis	Democratic	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ronald Burnette Jr.	Independent	Governor of Alabama	Candidacy Declared (Write-in) General

Alaska Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Click Bishop	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
David Bronson	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Adam Crum	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Nancy Dahlstrom	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Edna DeVries	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Shelley Hughes	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
James Parkin	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Treg Taylor	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Bernadette Wilson	Republican	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Tom Begich	Democratic	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Matt Claman	Democratic	Governor of Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1

Arizona Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Katie Hobbs Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared Primary
Andy Biggs	Republican	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared Primary
Scott Neely	Republican	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared Primary
David Schweikert	Republican	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared Primary
Karrin Taylor Robson	Republican	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared Primary
Teri Hourihan	Arizona Independent Party	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared General
William Pounds	Green	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared General
Hugh Lytle	Independent	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared General
Leezah Sun	Independent	Governor of Arizona	Candidacy Declared General

Arkansas Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Incumbent	Republican	Governor of Arkansas	On the Ballot General
Fredrick Love	Democratic	Governor of Arkansas	On the Ballot Primary
Supha Xayprasith-Mays	Democratic	Governor of Arkansas	On the Ballot Primary

California Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Chad Bianco	Republican	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Sharifah Hardie	Republican	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Steve Hilton	Republican	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brandon Jones	Republican	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Daniel Mercuri	Republican	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jon Slavet	Republican	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Leo Zacky	Republican	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ethan Agarwal	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Xavier Becerra	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ian Charles Calderon	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Matt Mahan	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Katie Porter	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Raji Rab	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
George Slivka	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Thomas Steyer	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Eric Swalwell	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Tony Thurmond	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Antonio Villaraigosa	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Betty Yee	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Michael Younger	Democratic	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Butch Ware	Green	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Nicholas Thompson	Libertarian	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jesse Alberti	No party preference	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Tony Fitzpatrick	No party preference	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Lewis Herms	No party preference	Governor of California	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kyle Langford	Republican	Governor of California	Withdrew Primary
Toni Atkins	Democratic	Governor of California	Withdrew Primary
Eleni Kounalakis	Democratic	Governor of California	Withdrew Primary
Javen Allen	No party preference	Governor of California	Withdrew Primary

Colorado Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Scott Bottoms	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Bob Brinkerhoff	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
John Brooks	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jason Ray Clark	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brycen Garrison	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Stevan Gess	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jon Gray-Ginsberg	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Joshua Griffin	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Barbara Kirkmeyer	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Greg Lopez	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Rabin Mahanty	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Victor Marx	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Will McBride	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jason Mikesell	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Robert Moore	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Alex Mugatu	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Joe Oltmann	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Maria Orms	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Katie Pierce	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jim Rundberg	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Mitchell Runyon	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Daniel Thomas	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kelvin Wimberly	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Stephen Hamilton	American Constitution Party	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Michael Bennet	Democratic	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Carmen Broesder	Democratic	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
David Hughes	Democratic	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Anthony Martinez	Democratic	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
William Moses	Democratic	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Phil Weiser	Democratic	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kelsey Heikkinen	No Labels Party	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Abass Yaya Bamba	No Labels Party	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Shawn Bennett	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Willow Collamer	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Charles Evanson	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Marla Fernandez	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Danny Fish	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Justin Ganoe	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Chante Jones	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Christian Komor	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Marcus Marte	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Jarvis Ray	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Joseph Rodriguez	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Gregory Roebuck	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Bradley Wall	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Matthew Yearous	Unaffiliated	Governor of Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Mark Baisley	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Withdrew Primary
Robin Jones	Republican	Governor of Colorado	Withdrew Primary

Connecticut Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Ned Lamont Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Connecticut	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ryan Fazio	Republican	Governor of Connecticut	Candidacy Declared Primary
Betsy McCaughey	Republican	Governor of Connecticut	Candidacy Declared Primary
Erin Stewart	Republican	Governor of Connecticut	Candidacy Declared Primary
Timothy Wilcox	Republican	Governor of Connecticut	Candidacy Declared Primary
Joshua Elliott	Democratic	Governor of Connecticut	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jennifer Tooker	Republican	Governor of Connecticut	Withdrew Primary

Florida Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
William Todd Andros	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jay Collins	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Shea Cruel	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Byron Donalds	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
James Fishback	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jim Holcomb	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Daniel Imperato	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
John Joseph Mercadante	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
William Reicherter	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Paul Renner	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Rachel Rodriguez	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Caneste Succe	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Bobby Williams Jr.	Republican	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brandon L. McIntyre	Constitution Party	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Faith E. Antonio	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Evelyn Castillo-Bach	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Richard Dembinsky	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jerry Demings	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Thomas E. Fernandez	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Dayna Foster	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Indony Jean Baptiste	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
David Jolly	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Charles Lewis I	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Donald Peterson	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Christopher Powell	Democratic	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared Primary
Reginald Strachan	Independent	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Scott Jewett	Libertarian	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Surindar Bedi	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
James Brown	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Jeffrey Peter Datto	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Moliere Dimanche	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Insley Evans	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Kyle Gibson	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Neil Gillespie	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Rodney Glover	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared (Write-in) General
Mourice Hylton	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Holly Klask	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Andrea Lynn Klink	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Jason Pizzo	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Frank J. Russo	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
David Wexler	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Florida	Candidacy Declared General
Matthew Taylor	Republican	Governor of Florida	Withdrew Primary

Georgia Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Chris Carr	Republican	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Clark Dean	Republican	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Rick Jackson	Republican	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Burt Jones	Republican	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Gregg Kirkpatrick	Republican	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Leland Olinger II	Republican	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brad Raffensperger	Republican	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kenneth Yasger	Republican	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Keisha Bottoms	Democratic	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Olu Brown	Democratic	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Geoff Duncan	Democratic	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jason Esteves	Democratic	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Derrick Jackson	Democratic	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ruwa Romman	Democratic	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary
Michael Thurmond	Democratic	Governor of Georgia	Candidacy Declared Primary

Guam Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Vicente Ada	Republican	Governor of Guam	Candidacy Declared Primary
Frank Blas Jr.	Republican	Governor of Guam	Candidacy Declared Primary
Marcel Camacho	Republican	Governor of Guam	Candidacy Declared Primary
Joe S. San Agustin	Democratic	Governor of Guam	Candidacy Declared Primary
Josh Tenorio	Democratic	Governor of Guam	Candidacy Declared Primary

Hawaii Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
No candidates available for this race		Governor of Hawaii

Idaho Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Brad Little Incumbent	Republican	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jordan Chirat	Republican	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared Primary
Scott Hert	Republican	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared Primary
Lisa Marie	Republican	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared Primary
Justin Plante	Republican	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared Primary
Stephen Heidt	Democratic	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared Primary
Terri Pickens	Democratic	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared Primary
Chanelle Torrez	Democratic	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ammon Bundy	Independent	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared General
Maxine Durand	Independent	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared General
Melissa Sue Robinson	Libertarian	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared General
John Stegner	Unaffiliated	Governor of Idaho	Candidacy Declared General

Illinois Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
J.B. Pritzker Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Illinois	On the Ballot Primary
Darren Bailey	Republican	Governor of Illinois	On the Ballot Primary
Ted Dabrowski	Republican	Governor of Illinois	On the Ballot Primary
Rick Heidner	Republican	Governor of Illinois	On the Ballot Primary
James Mendrick	Republican	Governor of Illinois	On the Ballot Primary
Andro Lerario	Republican	Governor of Illinois	Withdrew Primary
Gregg Moore	Republican	Governor of Illinois	Disqualified Primary
Joseph Severino	Republican	Governor of Illinois	Disqualified Primary
Max Solomon	Republican	Governor of Illinois	Withdrew Primary
Patricia L. Tillman	Democratic	Governor of Illinois	Disqualified Primary

Iowa Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Eddie Andrews	Republican	Governor of Iowa	Candidacy Declared Primary
Randy Feenstra	Republican	Governor of Iowa	Candidacy Declared Primary
Zach Lahn	Republican	Governor of Iowa	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brad Sherman	Republican	Governor of Iowa	Candidacy Declared Primary
Adam Steen	Republican	Governor of Iowa	Candidacy Declared Primary
Paul Dahl	Democratic	Governor of Iowa	Candidacy Declared Primary
Rob Sand	Democratic	Governor of Iowa	Candidacy Declared Primary
Julie Stauch	Democratic	Governor of Iowa	Candidacy Declared Primary

Kansas Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Doug Billings	Republican	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary
Joy Eakins	Republican	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ty Masterson	Republican	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary
Charlotte O'Hara	Republican	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary
Stacy Rogers	Republican	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary
Vicki Schmidt	Republican	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary
Scott Schwab	Republican	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ethan Corson	Democratic	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary
Cindy Holscher	Democratic	Governor of Kansas	Candidacy Declared Primary

Maine Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Jonathan Bush	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Ken A. Capron	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Bobby Charles	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
David Foster	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
David Jones	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
James Libby	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Garrett Mason	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Owen McCarthy	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Ben Midgley	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Steven Sheppard	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Robert J. Wessels	Republican	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Shenna Bellows	Democratic	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Jason Cherry	Democratic	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Kenneth Forrest Pinet	Democratic	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Troy Dale Jackson	Democratic	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Angus King III	Democratic	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Hannah Pingree	Democratic	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Nirav Shah	Democratic	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared
Richard Bennett	Independent	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared General
W. Edward Crockett	Independent	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared General
John Glowa	Independent	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared General
Derek Levasseur	Independent	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared General
Alexander Murchison	Independent	Governor of Maine	Candidacy Declared General
Maria Aguilo	Republican	Governor of Maine	Withdrew

Maryland Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Wes Moore Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Maryland	Candidacy Declared Primary
Dan Cox	Republican	Governor of Maryland	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ed Hale	Republican	Governor of Maryland	Candidacy Declared Primary
John Myrick	Republican	Governor of Maryland	Candidacy Declared Primary
Andy Ellis	Green	Governor of Maryland	Candidacy Declared General

Massachusetts Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Maura Healey Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared Primary
Mike Kennealy	Republican	Governor of Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared Primary
Michael Minogue	Republican	Governor of Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared Primary
Aaron Packard	Republican	Governor of Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brian Shortsleeve	Republican	Governor of Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared Primary
Matthew Dewar	Democratic	Governor of Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared Primary
Andrea James	Democratic	Governor of Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared Primary
Muhammed Kokonezis-Hanino	Independent	Governor of Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared General
Connor Gray	Democratic	Governor of Massachusetts	Withdrew Primary

Michigan Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Mike Cox	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Joyce Gipson	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Anthony Hudson	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
John James	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Perry Johnson	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Tom Leonard	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Aric Nesbitt	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ralph Rebandt	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Evan Space	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Karla Wagner	Republican	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jocelyn Benson	Democratic	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kevin Hogan	Democratic	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Marni Sawicki	Democratic	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Chris Swanson	Democratic	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared Primary
Mike Duggan	Independent	Governor of Michigan	Candidacy Declared General
Garlin Gilchrist II	Democratic	Governor of Michigan	Withdrew Primary

Minnesota Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Peggy Bennett	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Lisa Demuth	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Thomas Evenstad	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Scott Jensen	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jeff Johnson	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Patrick Knight	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brad Kohler	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
John Krhin	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Mike Lindell	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Phillip Parrish	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kendall Qualls	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kristin Robbins	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Rick DeVoe	Democratic	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Amy Klobuchar	Democratic	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Christopher Seymore	Democratic	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Mike Newcome	Independent	Governor of Minnesota	Candidacy Declared General
Tim Walz Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Minnesota	Withdrew Primary
Chris Madel	Republican	Governor of Minnesota	Withdrew Primary

Nebraska Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Jim Pillen Incumbent	Republican	Governor of Nebraska	Candidacy Declared Primary
Charles Herbster	Republican	Governor of Nebraska	Candidacy Declared Primary
Sheila Korth-Focken	Republican	Governor of Nebraska	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jacy Todd	Republican	Governor of Nebraska	Candidacy Declared Primary
Lynne Walz	Democratic	Governor of Nebraska	Candidacy Declared Primary

Nevada Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Joe Lombardo Incumbent	Republican	Governor of Nevada	Candidacy Declared Primary
Matthew Winterhawk	Republican	Governor of Nevada	Candidacy Declared Primary
Aaron Ford	Democratic	Governor of Nevada	Candidacy Declared Primary
Alexis Hill	Democratic	Governor of Nevada	Candidacy Declared Primary

New Hampshire Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Jonathan Kiper	Democratic	Governor of New Hampshire	Candidacy Declared Primary

New Mexico Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
James Ellison	Republican	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary
Gregg Hull	Republican	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary
Steve D. Lanier	Republican	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary
Belinda Robertson	Republican	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary
Duke Rodriguez	Republican	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary
Doug Turner	Republican	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary
Sam Bregman	Democratic	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary
Debra Haaland	Democratic	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ken Miyagishima	Democratic	Governor of New Mexico	Candidacy Declared Primary

New York Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Kathy Hochul Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of New York	Candidacy Declared Primary
Bruce Blakeman	Republican	Governor of New York	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jean Anglade	Democratic	Governor of New York	Candidacy Declared Primary
Elise Stefanik	Republican	Governor of New York	Withdrew Primary
Antonio Delgado	Democratic	Governor of New York	Withdrew Primary

Northern Mariana Islands Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
No candidates available for this race		Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands

Ohio Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Heather Hill	Republican	Governor of Ohio	Candidacy Declared Primary
Casey Putsch	Republican	Governor of Ohio	Candidacy Declared Primary
Vivek Ramaswamy	Republican	Governor of Ohio	Candidacy Declared Primary
Renea Turner	Republican	Governor of Ohio	Candidacy Declared Primary
Amy Acton	Democratic	Governor of Ohio	Candidacy Declared Primary
Don Kissick	Libertarian	Governor of Ohio	Candidacy Declared Primary
Tim Grady	No Party Affiliation	Governor of Ohio	Candidacy Declared General
Robert Sprague	Republican	Governor of Ohio	Withdrew Primary
Dave Yost	Republican	Governor of Ohio	Withdrew Primary

Oklahoma Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Gentner Drummond	Republican	Governor of Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared Primary
Mike Mazzei	Republican	Governor of Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared Primary
Charles A. McCall	Republican	Governor of Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jake Merrick	Republican	Governor of Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared Primary
Leisa Mitchell Haynes	Republican	Governor of Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kenneth Sturgell	Republican	Governor of Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared Primary
Cyndi Munson	Democratic	Governor of Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared Primary

Oregon Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Tina Kotek Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Danielle Bethell	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
David Burch	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ed Diehl	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Christine Drazan	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Chris Dudley	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kyle Duyck	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Caleb Kintz	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Patrick Kopke-Hales	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
David Medina	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Robert Neuman	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brad T. Peters	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Matthew Piatt	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Paul Romero	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Wen Waddell	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Martin Ward	Republican	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Forest Alexander	Democratic	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
James Atkinson	Democratic	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brittany Jones	Democratic	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Tristan Sheppard	Democratic	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared Primary
Alexander Ziwahatan	Independent Party	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared General
LaNicia Duke	Unaffiliated	Governor of Oregon	Candidacy Declared General

Pennsylvania Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Josh Shapiro Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Pennsylvania	Candidacy Declared Primary
Stacy Garrity	Republican	Governor of Pennsylvania	Candidacy Declared Primary
Bill Messner	Constitution Party	Governor of Pennsylvania	Candidacy Declared General

Rhode Island Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Daniel McKee Incumbent	Democratic	Governor of Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared Primary
Aaron Guckian	Republican	Governor of Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared Primary
Elaine Pelino	Republican	Governor of Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared Primary
Robert Raimondo	Republican	Governor of Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared Primary
Helena Foulkes	Democratic	Governor of Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared Primary
Gregory Stevens	Democratic	Governor of Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared Primary

South Carolina Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Pamela Evette	Republican	Governor of South Carolina	Candidacy Declared Primary
Josh Kimbrell	Republican	Governor of South Carolina	Candidacy Declared Primary
Nancy Mace	Republican	Governor of South Carolina	Candidacy Declared Primary
Ralph Norman	Republican	Governor of South Carolina	Candidacy Declared Primary
Alan Wilson	Republican	Governor of South Carolina	Candidacy Declared Primary
Justin Bennett	Democratic	Governor of South Carolina	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jermaine Johnson	Democratic	Governor of South Carolina	Candidacy Declared Primary
Mullins McLeod	Democratic	Governor of South Carolina	Candidacy Declared Primary
Thomas Ravenel	Republican	Governor of South Carolina	Withdrew Primary

South Dakota Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Larry Rhoden Incumbent	Republican	Governor of South Dakota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Toby Doeden	Republican	Governor of South Dakota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jon Hansen	Republican	Governor of South Dakota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Dusty Johnson	Republican	Governor of South Dakota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Robert Arnold	Democratic	Governor of South Dakota	Candidacy Declared Primary
Terry Gleason	Independent	Governor of South Dakota	Candidacy Declared General
Scott Morris	Independent	Governor of South Dakota	Candidacy Declared General
Allison Renville	Independent	Governor of South Dakota	Candidacy Declared General

Tennessee Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Marsha Blackburn	Republican	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared Primary
Monty Fritts	Republican	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared Primary
Cito Pellegra	Republican	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared Primary
John Rose	Republican	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared Primary
Carnita Atwater	Democratic	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared Primary
Tim Cyr	Democratic	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared Primary
Jerri Green	Democratic	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared Primary
Adam Kurtz	Democratic	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared Primary
Stephen Maxwell	Independent	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared General
Lauren Pinkston	Independent	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared General
Manasa Reddy	Independent	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared General
Robert Vick	Independent	Governor of Tennessee	Candidacy Declared General

Texas Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Greg Abbott Incumbent	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
R.F. Achgill	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Evelyn Brooks	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Pete Chambers	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Charles Crouch	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Arturo Espinosa	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Mark Goloby	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Kenneth Hyde	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Stephen Samuelson	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Ronnie Tullos	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Nathaniel Welch	Republican	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Patricia Abrego	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Chris Bell	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Bobby Cole	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Carlton Hart	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Gina Hinojosa	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Jose Navarro Balbuena	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Zach Vance	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Angela Villescaz	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Andrew White	Democratic	Governor of Texas	On the Ballot Primary
Jenn Mack Raphoon	Independent	Governor of Texas	Candidacy Declared General
Nick Pappas	Democratic	Governor of Texas	Withdrew Primary
Faizan Syed	Democratic	Governor of Texas	Withdrew Primary
Meagan Tehseldar	Democratic	Governor of Texas	Withdrew Primary

Vermont Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Phil Scott Incumbent	Republican	Governor of Vermont	Candidacy Declared Primary
Esther Charlestin	Democratic	Governor of Vermont	Candidacy Declared Primary

Virgin Islands Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
No candidates available for this race		Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Wisconsin Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Andrew Manske	Republican	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Tom Tiffany	Republican	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Mandela Barnes	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Joel Brennan	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
David Crowley	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Francesca Hong	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Missy Hughes	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brett Hulsey	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Sara Rodriguez	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Zachary Roper	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Kelda Roys	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared Primary
Oliver Carranza	Independent	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared General
Crystal Harper	Independent	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared General
David King	Independent	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared General
Mike Kohn	Independent	Governor of Wisconsin	Candidacy Declared General
Bill Berrien	Republican	Governor of Wisconsin	Withdrew Primary
Josh Schoemann	Republican	Governor of Wisconsin	Withdrew Primary
Ryan Strnad	Democratic	Governor of Wisconsin	Withdrew Primary

Wyoming Governor Candidates - 2026
candidate	party	office	status
Eric Barlow	Republican	Governor of Wyoming	Candidacy Declared Primary
Brent Bien	Republican	Governor of Wyoming	Candidacy Declared Primary
Megan Degenfelder	Republican	Governor of Wyoming	Candidacy Declared Primary
Joseph Kibler	Republican	Governor of Wyoming	Candidacy Declared Primary
Gabriel Green	Democratic	Governor of Wyoming	Candidacy Declared Primary

Race ratings

The following table compares gubernatorial race ratings from The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections as of February 2026.

Presidential election data

The following section compares state-level returns for the 2024 presidential election across the seven states holding battleground gubernatorial elections in 2026.

Kamala Harris (D) carried one state — California — by a margin larger than 20 percentage points. Heading into the 2026 election, California has a Democratic governor.
Kamala Harris (D) carried one state — Minnesota — by a margin fewer than 5 percentage points. Heading into the 2026 election, Minnesota has a Democratic governor.
Kamala Harris (D) carried no states by a margin fewer than 5 percentage points.
Donald Trump (R) carried no states by a margin larger than 20 percentage points.
Donald Trump (R) carried two states — Iowa and Kansas —by margins between 5 and 20 percentage points. At the time of the 2026 election, Iowa had a Republican governor, and Kansas had a Democratic governor.
Donald Trump (R) ) carried three states — Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin — by a margin fewer than 5 percentage points. Heading into the 2026 election, Michigan and Wisconsin have Democratic governors, and Nevada has a Republican governor.

Change log

This section will list every change to our battleground list between the publishing of this page in January 2026 and the end of the 2026 election cycle.

Footnotes

Gubernatorial battlegrounds, 2026

Contents

Battleground list

List of candidates

Race ratings

Presidential election data

Change log

See also

Footnotes

Information about voting

2026 Elections

2025 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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